Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and commitee members.

Thank you for having us today.

My name is Stephen Scott. I work as the director general of rail safety and security at Transport Canada. I am joined today by my colleague Michel Béland, who is the acting director general of the transportation of dangerous goods program.

I would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we are gathered today is the traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin and Anishinabe peoples.

Thanks very much again for the opportunity to speak with you today about the transportation of dangerous goods by rail.

As the regulator, Transport Canada is responsible for the administration and oversight of safety and security in the federally regulated rail sector. The rail safety and security program comprises about 175 inspectors, who conduct about 40,000 inspections and 20 safety audits every year in the rail mode. In addition, the transportation of dangerous goods program oversees the safe and secure movement of hazardous materials across all modes of transport, including by rail. This program includes 112 inspectors, who conduct about 4,000 inspections annually.

Since the Lac-Mégantic tragedy in 2013, Canada's rail safety and dangerous goods regimes have undergone fundamental changes. In addition to an enhanced oversight posture through increased inspections, data-driven and risk-based planning, and stronger enforcement tools, such as administrative monetary penalties, Transport Canada has advanced a continuous cycle of policy and regulatory modernization. This includes stricter requirements related to train securement, track standards, tank cars and emergency response plans; speed restrictions for trains carrying dangerous goods; new duty and rest rules to mitigate fatigue risks of employees in safety-critical positions; elevated safety standards for train brake testing and maintenance; new grade crossings regulations that improve safety at road crossings; and assisting in the advancement of new technologies that can improve safety.

In May 2022, this committee issued a report with 33 recommendations to improve railway safety in Canada. I am pleased to report today that of those 33 recommendations, 31 have been completed or we have actions under way to complete them. This is being done through existing legislative and regulatory authorities already available to the department.

Over the last number of years, we have seen some positive indications of downward trends in accident rates. For example, reporting from the Transportation Safety Board indicates that in 2023, there were 914 rail accidents in Canada. This represents a 12% decrease from the 10-year average. However, we know that the risk picture and the operating environment are constantly evolving and that challenges remain. We look forward to the committee's recommendations as part of the current study to inform future policy directions.

I would now like to turn to the recent train derailment that occurred in Longueuil, Quebec.

On November 14th, a Canadian National train derailed eight cars in a railyard. Of those, six were carrying dangerous goods. One tank car, which was carrying hydrogen peroxide, was punctured.

When derailments occur, railway companies are obligated by regulation to take immediate mitigation actions.

This includes notifying and supporting local emergency first responders, deploying resources to assist with emergency management and remediation, and advising the Transportation Safety Board and Transport Canada. In this instance, in accordance with standard operating procedures, Transport Canada was in immediate communication with the railway company involved to verify that the emergency response plan was being implemented and to provide technical advice on remedial actions.

I will conclude with a few comments on Canadian National's current operating restrictions impacting Via's new trainsets in the Quebec City-Toronto corridor, as I understand this is also an area of study for this committee. For clarity, this issue is unrelated to dangerous goods.

Transport Canada is aware that Canadian National requires restrictions at about 300 grade crossings for Via Venture trains. Based on information from CN, we understand that the rationale is to ensure consistent activation of the grade crossing warning systems at these locations. The net result is that Via trains are required to reduce their speed when they approach these crossings, which is adding travel time to Via's routes in the corridor.

Transport Canada is closely monitoring the situation and advancing its own due diligence review to ensure there is no threat to safety. If there are additional measures from a safety perspective that we need to take as the regulator, we have the existing tools to be able to do that.

Thank you for your time.

We are happy to take questions from members of the committee.